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Caps problems are a mile high

These Capitals sure can be maddening. After a hard fought (albeit ugly) win in Winnipeg, the Caps come right back and lay an egg in Colorado, losing to the youngest team in the NHL. The loss was the result of a lot of the same issues the Caps have been experiencing all season and that may be the most frustrating part.

First of all, it was another night of lackluster goaltending. Michal Neuvirth may have lost Cody McLeod's shot in the crowd but it's still a goal that can not happen. Neuvirth didn't even look prepared. Sure, John Carlson was draped all over McLeod and McLeod isn't exactly Alex Ovechkin in his prime. But the "fluke" goal set a tone for the game after the Caps had been flying all over the ice in the first few minutes.

The 2nd goal came just 54 seconds after the Caps tied the game. Neuvirth failed to corral the initial rebound and that set up the Erik Johnson bomb through traffic. But those 54 seconds sure were fun!

The power play was again disjointed. At best. Sure seems like the other team usually ends up with the best scoring opportunities more often than not. The Caps were 0-3 last night and a big issue came in the faceoff circle. The Caps won just 1 of 8 faceoffs with the man advantage. Hard to set up when you don't have the puck.

And again, not enough shots on goal. We lost out on the great theater of facing old friend Semyon Varlamov. But that didn't mean there was no reason to interact with JS Giguere. Trailing by a goal in the 3rd period on the road and the Caps had exactly 1 shot on goal through the first 15 minutes of the period. I mean - c'mon.

So the Caps fall to an inconsistent 4-5 under Dale Hunter. They're again in 3rd place in the division behind the Jets & Panthers and out of the playoffs as of now. And it sure feels as if it's a fragile collective psyche in the room.

Next up, a home game against Nashville Tuesday night. I'm guessing it'll be Vokoun against his former team again. Make sure to watch me and Alan May on Capitals Central at 6:30 on Comcast SportsNet. See ya then!